Chris E.
Yelp
Serious...meat...overload!!!
One thing I read about Ottawa prior to visiting was that Shawarma was extremely popular here due to the large Lebanese population, so it was a MUST for us to try some from one of their most popular chains.
The great thing about this location is that it's part of a strip mall so there is plenty of parking in the back. The restaurant itself is also pretty big and there was plenty of seating on the Thursday evening that we dropped by. The menu is straightforward in that they serve shredded chicken, lamb and other variations of shawarma as part of large platters which come with rice, hummus, salad and potatoes. The platters do not come cheap though as they are all on the precipice of $20 each, but you'll know where that money all went once you receive your order.
My wife and I ordered separate platters, which was a huge mistake after we saw how humongous the platters were. We ordered a mixed chicken and lamb platter and a chicken platter. And, not knowing what we were getting ourselves into, we decided to order 4 of their giant falafels. Those who have been here probably would be saying "What were you thinking?!?!" That's the exact same question we asked ourselves!
First, the platters here are some of the largest I've ever seen in a single serving. It could EASILY be split into 2-3 meals, even for someone like me who has a gargantuan appetite. Second, the good. Loved the rice and potatoes. The golden lemon potatoes were a really nice touch, but, any sensical person would be thinking, 2 carbs in 1 dish? Anyhow, it was still really good.
OK everything so good right? Unfortunately, the star of the show didn't live up to the hype. Womp, womp. The chicken and lamb meats were very dry. Yes, there was A LOT of it in both platters and I loveeeeee huge servings, but the meat was so shockingly dry. Thankfully, there was white sauce spread all over the meats, but it was still easy to notice the lack of moisture in the chicken and lamb . The lamb was better than the chicken since the chicken was even drier. And the falafel was just as big of a disappointment in that it was very dry too.
In all fairness, I'm from New York and I've had shawarma as far back as I can remember from many, many different vendors (including The Halal Guys) and also had my fair share of falafel as well, but with all of the hype surrounding Shawarma Palace, I expected a lot better! The portions are great and the lemon potatoes were excellent, but the meats need a lot more love here.